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Symantec acquisitions cement encryption-as-a-feature

When Baylor University set out to evaluate whole disk encryption software in 2004, the technology was somewhat separate and isolated from other security tools. The school was deploying encryption on its staff laptops to protect sensitive student data in the wake of new data breach notification rules that were to take effect in Texas in 2005. Baylor chose PGP Universal Server, which edged out several other vendors for its centralized management console and ease of use, says Jon Allen, information security officer at the Waco, Texas-based university. With more than 1,300 devices now encrypted, PGP's recovery system has been crucial in letting IT easily access and reset locked computers if a staff member forgets their passphrase. Today however, Allen sees the technology in a different light. No matter if its whole disk encryption, email encryption or transaction encryption, security vendors are integrating the technology as a feature in larger security suites. So when Symantec announced its intention to acquire PGP and GuardianEdge...